


Christmas is My Favorite Time of Year

by HalbarryTrashcan



Series: Halbarry One-Shots [3]
Category: DCU (Comics), Green Lantern - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types, The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: (if you squint), Can't Believe This Is What I Came Back With, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Jewish! Hal, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21915331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalbarryTrashcan/pseuds/HalbarryTrashcan
Summary: Barry enlists Hal's help for throwing the League Christmas Party - there's just one problem.Alternate Summary: 2.5k words of Christmas Fluff. It's everywhere. Run for your life.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Hal Jordan
Series: Halbarry One-Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1467124
Comments: 10
Kudos: 51





	Christmas is My Favorite Time of Year

**Author's Note:**

> 1.) I based the title (and Hal) off of a song by the same name from the musical "Catch Me If You Can." I highly suggest listening to it.  
> 2.) I will have real author's notes at the bottom if you would like to read them. I just don't want to disrupt those who are here solely for the fluff. 
> 
> Enjoy. :)  
> -HB

Hal is Jewish.

He is Jewish and, more importantly, he hates holidays; so, how he found himself knee deep in cheap dollar store tinsel decorating for a party centered around a holiday he doesn’t even celebrate was beyond him. Well, he knew why. When Bartholomew Henry Allen looks at you with bedroom eyes and tells you that “you might have a Christmas present waiting for you at the end of the night,” you put on the ugliest sweater you own and ho ho ho.

“Achoo!” Hal sneezed. Yeah, the Christmas sweater might have to go. “Bar, I think I might be allergic to this sweater.”

“Hal, I think you’re allergic to Christmas,” the blond shot back over his shoulder with a grin. Barry was speeding around the house trying to put the final touches on the decorations before everyone from the league got here. Hal still didn’t understand why Barry offered their home up for the annual league Christmas party.

“I still don’t understand why we couldn’t have just had it at the Watchtower like we always do,” Hal grumbled.

“Aw, come on, show some Christmas spirit! A Christmas party in a giant piece of metal floating in space just doesn’t have the same homey feel.” Barry grinned at him as he dashed up the stairs with a smattering of candy canes and gingerbread men in his hands. The wind created by his speed sent all of the tinsel Hal had been working with into complete disarray.

“Hey!” the lantern yelped. “I’ve been working on that for thirty minutes! I don’t even celebrate Christmas!” he let out an exasperated sigh and sneezed again. There was a flurry in front of him and the tinsel was set just the way it was before.

Barry stopped right in front of his boyfriend with a tissue in his hand. “I know, you’re such a trooper,” the speedster rolled his eyes but gave Hal a peck on the nose before zooming off to the kitchen to finish his last batch of gingerbread cookies.

“You’re lucky I love you,” Hal muttered under his breath as he resigned to plopping down on the couch and turning down the Christmas music.

Barry popped his head through the threshold between the kitchen and the living room, “Love you too,” he smiled softly and threw the brunette a fresh gingerbread cookie.

“You have super speed, not super hearing!” Hal complained but caught the cookie gratefully.

Barry _did_ make good cookies.

* * *

They were halfway through the party, and Hal swore he was going to fly to Oa and never come back if he heard “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” one more time. He’d never been one for holidays, but this was just too much for him.

“You know when I was _The Flash_ full time,” he heard Jay Garrick start another one of his stories. Everyone was enamored, listening to the obviously hyperbolized story, but no one dared call him out on it. Jay was royalty, and even if he wasn’t the current _Flash_ , he had an indefinite invite to all league Christmas parties. Hal could only pray that his own indefinite invite card got revoked.

“Oh! You guys, it’s time for Secret Santa!” Barry raised his voice and gathered everyone for them to start the game. “You can put your gifts in the middle on the coffee table we’ll start in a minute.”

Hal pulled Barry aside by the arm. “Secret what?”

“Secret Santa!” the speedster beamed at him. Hal’s face must have given him away because Barry’s face became grim. “Hal did you forget to get a gift for Secret Santa?” he gave him pointed look.

Hal looked sheepish. “I may have – erm – forgot.”

Barry groaned. “Alright, we can go in on ours together,” the lantern grinned and went in to give him quick kiss but Barry stuck his arm out, keeping him in place. “But, you get to use none of our steals, I get to keep whatever it is if it’s good, and you owe me a back massage.”

Hal gulped and nodded slowly, causing Barry to let loose a laugh. God he loved that laugh. Hal leaned in to finish the kiss he had planned on giving Barry earlier before the blond could turn around. Barry obliged and placed second a chaste kiss on his lips before turning around to the rest of the group.

“Well, Hal and I decided we would be willing to only get one gift so we will be playing as a team this year!” he announced to the group. There were a couple of laughs and a few groans.

“Do tell me, did Hal forget to get a gift this year?” Bruce asked. His tone hinted at mischief but his face stayed the same stone cold it always did.

“I did not!” the lantern defended.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that me and Dinah could have just gotten one gift and saved money?” Oliver asked and stood in mock outrage.

The canary elbowed him, “what could _you_ need to _save_ for?” she smirked at him.

“Fair,” the emerald archer sat back down with a grumble.

“Who shall partake in the gift giving tradition first?” Diana asked, her enthusiasm barely masked.

One of the gifts started moving and a tentacle burst out of the package, startling the whole group except Bruce and Arthur.

“Arthur I thought we said no sea creatures!” Barry exclaimed.

“How dare you think I would wrap up such sacred sea life!” the Atlantean boomed.

“Well, if you didn’t wrap up an octopus, who did?”

* * *

There were only a few people left milling around the house when Hal had finished his third cup of eggnog. Barry had made sure to not spike it just in case any of the sidekicks were here, but he slipped Hal and Oliver some peppermint Schnapps because he’s the best boyfriend in the entire world. Even if Barry hadn’t offered him alcohol, Ollie would have brought some anyway, but it’s the thought that counts.

“You know, out of all the people to be a Grinch,” Zatanna said as she sat down on the couch next to him, “I did not think it would be you.”

Hal scoffed. “I’m not a Grinch – I’m Jewish. There’s a difference you know.” She raised an eyebrow at him. Hal huffed in response, “Well do you know who brought the Octopus?”

“Yeah,” she smirked as she took a drink of her eggnog. Hal wasn’t a conspiracy theorist, but he had the sneaking suspicion she also was able to slip something into her drink.

Hal almost fell off the couch. “Who?”

She grinned “a magician _never_ reveals their secrets.”

“You. Are as bad as Batman,” he accused. This cause a genuine laugh to come out of the magician. Hal didn’t think he’d heard her laugh like that since before her father died two months ago. Maybe this Christmas thing wasn’t so bad.

“How are you and Barry doing?” she asked, nodding to where he was standing now, engaged in a conversation with Clark and Dinah about some humanitarian crisis.

“He is possibly the best thing to have ever happened to me and he’s a blond, so I can’t really ask for much else.” Hal smiled when he looked over at his speedster. They’d been together for two and a half years, but the warm fuzziness he felt when he looked at him never went away.

Zatanna laughed, “Well that’s.. a good thing? Have you guys had any,” she looked around the room, but at this point the only people still here were all close friends. “Trouble? I was worried some people would be.. well – you know. Idiots about the whole thing,” she finished ruefully. This gave Hal some pause. He hadn’t really thought about it much. Sure, his whole life he’d been into girls but everything changed when he met Barry; he honestly just didn’t care what other people thought.

“Yeah, I mean some people haven’t been too happy about it. There were a few people in Barry’s precinct that were kind of assholes, but nothing too major. I threatened to lock them up in space prison, but Bar said that having bad morals wasn’t enough grounds to lock ‘em up,” he chuckled at the memory and took another drink.

“Wow, he’s really cooled you off, huh?” she grinned. Her face shifted, “I meant, though, in the superhero community.”

“No, everyone here’s been super cool, actually,” Hal said in wonder. “Honestly, I think everyone is so worried about not dying on a day to day basis that no one has the time to care about which team Barry and I bat for.”

The magician breathed out a sigh of relief and it looked as if she was physically lighter.

“Oh?” Hal quipped at her knowingly. She couldn’t hide her blush.

“Don’t say anything to anyone, but I think I am going to ask Diana on a date.”

“I think you should,” Bruce spoke up from behind them on the couch. They both jumped apart immediately.

“Bruce! Ah – uh – how long have you been there?” Hal asked through nervous chuckles.

“Long enough,” he sauntered away with a knowing look on his face, “I’m not that bad, you know.”

Hal groaned and sank even further into the couch. Barry was gonna get a kick out of this.

* * *

“Bye everyone, fly safe! Merry Christmas!” Barry cheerfully called out to the last remaining guests as they left.

The door closed and Hal practically slid down it, putting his forehead on his knees. He looked up at Barry and the blond burst into laughter, sliding down next to him and wrapping his arm between Hal’s right arm and right knee and placed his head on the lantern’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” the blond sighed contentedly.

“For what?”

“For putting up with it all. I know Christmas isn’t your.. forte.”

Hal turned his head and kissed Barry’s temple. “Bar, it’s a Christmas party. It’s the least I could do. I’m sorry if I came off like a Grinch I wasn’t trying to I-" he felt a tear hit his hand. He looked over and there were a few tears falling down Barry’s face. He instantly sat up and wrapped his arms around the speedster.

“Hey, I- I’m sorry if my grouchiness made you upset,” his heart squeezed. There were only two things he hated in this world and one of them was when Barry was upset. We won’t talk about the other thing. “Listen, I know I wasn’t the best party host but I swear next Christmas I won’t even complain and I’ll hang mistletoe everywhere – oh and I will get you all the presents in the world – and I mean real presents not just sex.”

Barry laughed and it shook his whole body. That made the lantern feel a little better, at least.

“Hal, I’m not upset at you,” he chuckled and moved to wipe his eyes, “though you could be a little less Grinchy next year,” he emphasized the line with an elbow to the ribcage. Hal wheezed, but gave Barry a squeeze anyway.

“Christmas has always just been my favorite time of year,” Barry continued, “but it was also my mom’s favorite holiday. Whenever I hear Christmas music or make gingerbread I just think of her, you know?” He let out a big puff of air and sank back into Hal’s arms. The brunette nuzzled him gently, giving him silence to allow him to breathe.

Barry began vibrating in Hal’s arms and the lantern wrapped his arms around him tighter. “Hey there, come on, stay with me. You gotta slow down or I can’t keep up,” he rubbed up and down Barry’s arms.

“Sorry,” the speedster settled down – barely – and placed his head back on Hal’s shoulder, letting his boyfriend rub gentle circles into his back. “I just. I know it’s been such a long time; but I miss her Hal. I still miss her. A lot. And Christmas always makes me so happy until it’s the end of the night and everyone has left and I realize that I’m left here alone,” Barry stopped to take another breath, “but I’m not alone. You’re here. You’ve been off-world the past two Christmases and I was able to spend the first one at Iris’s but last year I was alone and I just am so happy, that you are here.”

To imagine Barry having to spend Christmas alone broke his heart; he had no idea.

Hal sighed and continued to rub Barry’s back, changing the pattern to a figure eight. He and Barry both knew that he – Harold Jordan – was almost the most emotionally constipated person to ever walk the earth, second only to Bruce Wayne. He didn’t really have any skills in the trauma department, that was more Barry’s thing, but Hal did have willpower.

And he was determined to love Barry through it. Through anything, really.

“Bar, why didn’t you say anything? It’s okay to miss your mom. I still miss my dad. I don’t think it ever really goes away.”

“Well, I know you _hate_ Christmas-“

“Hey! I don’t _hate_ Christmas. I’ve never celebrated it before! I-“

“Yes, I remember. You’re Jewish,” Barry deadpanned. He couldn’t stand it and he started to chuckle. Even though it was at his expense, it still made smile knowing that Barry felt a little better.

“What I was going to say before you attacked my heritage,” Barry let out a burst of laughter but Hal pressed on, “I was going to say that I will never miss another Christmas. Never again, as long as I am still breathing I will be here with you for Christmas.”

Barry’s face softened, “Hal, that’s sweet, but I know the Corps has to have you. If you can’t make it to some Christmases that’s okay. This one was just especially hard for some reason.”

“The Corps can eat my ass, I don’t care,” Hal waved a hand flippantly. “I swear to you that I will make it back for Christmas now that I know how important it is.” He championed to Barry.

Barry grinned and gave him a tender kiss. “I love you so much. But I can’t believe you just used this moment to tell the Green Lantern Corps to eat your ass.”

“Well,” Hal smirked mischievously, “ _you_ could instead.”

“Hal!” Barry shrieked and hit him, causing the lantern to burst into a fit of laughter. “You’re lucky that Wally wasn’t here. Geez!” he grumbled while blushing, causing Hal to laugh even more. “Come on, we need to clean this place up,” he said, pulling Hal up to stand.

“Do we have to righ- wait! You said you had a Christmas present for me!” Hal raised an eyebrow at him.

Barry pulled him in close and whispered into his ear, “well, it might actually have something to do with what you just mentioned.” He smirked as he pulled away to look at Hal drooling at him. “But we have to clean up for the night to be officially over.”

“Bartholomew did you just tempt me with.. with-”

“Hey! Look Hal it’s past midnight.” Barry wrapped his arms around the brunette’s neck and kissed him. “Merry Christmas, Harold.”

Hal rolled his eyes in mock frustration, but he broke into a chuckle the moment he saw Barry’s smile. He sighed, but his smile gave him away.

He nuzzled into the crook of Barry’s neck where he knew he liked.

“Merry Christmas, Bar.”

**Author's Note:**

> So here we are. We survived. This is NOT the story I had planned to come back with, but I'm not disappointed. You know, as a reader for a very long time I was often so shocked as to how people just disappeared or stopped writing, but I understand it on a very different level now. This most previous fall semester has been so absolutely, utterly terrifying and crazy - not to mention busy. I would say this went straight to the back burner, but to be honest it didn't even have a burner to sit on. I guess the point of this ramble is to say:  
> 1.) Thank you to all of those out there who write these stories. I finally understand your pain; I'm sorry I was an impatient ass.  
> 2.) Don't stop writing, even if it takes some time.  
> 3.) Happy Holidays! Whatever you celebrate, I hope it was incredible and you got to spend some time with people who love you, whether it be the family you were born into or the family you chose.
> 
> See you all in the new decade and I hope to bring some more love and stories into it with me.
> 
> -HB <3


End file.
